Easter 2011

Easter 2011.  Before going to bed we had the kids place their Easter baskets by the patio door.  Madelyn was very skeptical about leaving her Easter basket un-attended all night.  It took a lot of convincing to get her to leave it.  She wanted to sleep with it in her bed.  Later that night, I was up in the top bunk with Collin snuggling at bedtime.  From below I heard Ella whisper to Matt, "If you and mommy get up really early will you take a picture of the Easter bunny".  Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, I'm sure dreaming of candy filling her Easter basket.  They were of course up before us to discover that, in fact the Easter bunny had come.  After the usual excitement a few too many pieces of candy we headed off to a fabulous church service.  We were joined by Mary and Terry and were lucky enough to spend the rest of Easter with them.  We enjoyed a nice bike ride to Frog Hollow Park, decorating cupcakes,  and hours of fun playing outside with friends.  Of course, most importantly we wanted to remember what we were really celebrating.  We spent some time reflecting on what the resurrection of Jesus means for each of us.  What it means about how we live our lives here on Earth and ultimately our gift of heaven that awaits us.  As the kids get older, it is amazing to watch their unconditional faith.  We talked about how not everyone believes that Jesus died and then came back to life.  That there is really no way to prove it, and that it is something that we have to choose to believe.  That you don't have to believe it because church is telling you to or because it is what mommy and daddy believe - but because it is something that you truly believe yourself.  This is a difficult thing to understand - even as adults.  But we are so proud and pleased that our kids have placed their faith and trust in Jesus and want to live a life here on Earth that would make Him proud.  It is one of the most important decisions they will ever make and it is so exciting as they get older to watch them start to form their own opinions, beliefs, and faith!  We love them so much, and it is my prayer for them every day!

Collin being silly while mommy adjusts her camera settings.  The kids are starting to get used to this and don't even mind being my "fill ins" anymore.

Madelyn crashed hard after all the excitement from the day.  She slept for about an hour.  Matt went up to get her to eat dinner.  He carried her down and she didn't wake up so he lay her on the couch.  We finished making dinner, ate dinner and cleaned up dishes before she woke up.  

Grandma brought cupcakes to decorate.  Both Ella and Madelyn helped to decorate them.  Ella lasted through all 2 dozen and was still sad when there was no more left to decorate.  We ended up bringing them outside and letting all the neighborhood kids dig in!  It was a great way to end a great day.